Charles Schwab Corp. is moving to offer its millionaire clients access to potential windfalls generated by private companies before they go public, as investor interest for alternative investments — those outside of traditional stocks and bonds — continues to grow.

Schwab

SCHW said Thursday it is buying Forge Global Holdings Inc. in a deal valued at $660 million. It is paying $45 a share for Forge’s outstanding shares, which represents a 72.3% premium over Wednesday’s closing price of $26.12.

Dear Quentin,

I am retiring next year, but I hope to wait until January 2027 before I draw Social Security at 69½. My husband will also retire in January 2027 when he turns 65. I estimate our combined Social Security income at $7,000 a month. Furthermore, I have built a 15-year TIPS ladder from my husband’s old retirement accounts and additional funds from an aftertax mutual fund; that should provide an additional $60,000 per year.

Currently, I have $1.9 million in my 401(k) and $200,000 in a 457(b) managed annuity account. My husband has about $100,000 (S&P 500) in his current workplace IRA. We have $500,000 in a money-market account and $220,000 (S&P 500

SPX) in a mutual fund. We own our home, which may sell for $400,000 when we retire.

It’s getting choppy. The heavy weighting afforded the megacap tech stocks meant the reception given to their third-quarter earnings was very likely to determine the stock market’s short-term direction.

And so, poorly-received reports from Meta

META and Microsoft MSFT saw the wider market retreat sharply on Thursday, while positivity over Amazon.com AMZN and Apple AAPL results are pushing indices back up on Friday.